School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Koahsiung Medical University, Koahsiung, Taiwan.
Environ Int. 2024 Aug;190:108876. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108876. Epub 2024 Jul 6.
Air pollution is recognized as a modifiable risk factor for dementia, and recent evidence suggests that improving air quality could attenuate cognitive decline and reduce dementia risk. However, studies have yet to explore the effects of improved air quality on brain structures. This study aims to investigate the impact of air pollution reduction on cognitive functions and structural brain differences among cognitively normal older adults.
Four hundred and thirty-one cognitively normal older adults were from the Epidemiology of Mild Cognitive Impairment study in Taiwan (EMCIT), a community-based cohort of adults aged 60 and older, between year 2017- 2021. Annual concentrations of PM, NO, O, and PM at participants' residential addresses during the 10 years before enrollment were estimated using ensemble mixed spatial models. The yearly rate of change (slope) in air pollutants was estimated for each participant. Cognitive functions and structural brain images were collected during enrollment. The relationships between the rate of air pollution change and cognitive functions were examined using linear regression models. For air pollutants with significant findings in relation to cognitive function, we further explored the association with brain structure.
Overall, all pollutant concentrations, except O, decreased over the 10-year period. The yearly rates of change (slopes) in PM and NO were correlated with better attention (PM: r = -0.1, p = 0.047; NO: r = -0.1, p = 0.03) and higher white matter integrity in several brain regions. These regions included anterior thalamic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, corticospinal tract, and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus.
Greater rate of reduction in air pollution was associated with better attention and attention-related white matter integrity. These results provide insight into the mechanism underlying the relationship between air pollution, brain health, and cognitive aging among older adults.
空气污染被认为是痴呆症的可改变风险因素，最近的证据表明，改善空气质量可以减缓认知能力下降速度并降低痴呆症风险。然而，目前的研究尚未探讨空气质量改善对大脑结构的影响。本研究旨在调查减少空气污染对认知功能正常的老年人认知功能和大脑结构差异的影响。
431 名认知功能正常的老年人来自台湾轻度认知障碍流行病学研究（EMCIT），这是一个年龄在 60 岁及以上的成年人的社区为基础的队列研究，时间范围在 2017 年至 2021 年之间。在参与者入组前的 10 年期间，使用综合混合空间模型来估计参与者居住地址处的 PM、NO、O 和 PM 的年浓度。为每个参与者估计了空气污染物的年变化率（斜率）。在入组时收集了认知功能和大脑结构图像。使用线性回归模型来检查空气污染物变化率与认知功能之间的关系。对于与认知功能相关的有显著发现的空气污染物，我们进一步探索了与大脑结构的关联。
总体而言，除了 O 之外，所有污染物浓度在 10 年内都有所下降。PM 和 NO 的年变化率（斜率）与注意力（PM：r=-0.1，p=0.047；NO：r=-0.1，p=0.03）和几个大脑区域的更高的白质完整性相关。这些区域包括前丘脑辐射、上纵束、下纵束、皮质脊髓束和下额枕束。
空气污染物减少率越高，注意力和与注意力相关的白质完整性越好。这些结果为空气污染物、大脑健康和老年人认知老化之间的关系的机制提供了新的认识。
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